Depravity of human nature

The moral wickedness of humans is one theme that is repeated in all three of these von Kleist short stories. Although this theme is not as strong in The Marquise of O- as it is in the other three stories, it can be found in the person of the Count. Although he appears to be morally irreproachable, he is actually the one who raped the Marquise. Not only did he rape her, he committed this act under the guise of "saving" her from other attackers.

The theme of depravity becomes much more clear in the story The Earthquake in Chile. Although the pair of young lovers is punished for their act of premarital sex, the writer communicates a sort of sympathy for this couple. After all, it was simply social standing and the anger of a parent that kept the two young people from being...